Vehicle



1'2. DE FILIPPIS April 29, 1930.

VEHICLE Filed Aug. 5, 192'! 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 29, 1930. R DE uppls 1,756,539

VEHICLE Filed Aug 5, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wa M:

imam/Em:

Patented Apr. 29, 1930 V 1 755 539 PATENT QFFECE RAYMOND DE FILIPIPIS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO HANNA ID. FINDLEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

VEHICLE Application filed August 5, 1927. Serial No. 210,877.

This invention relatesto vehicles, and while adjustment of the steering mechanism for it is designed particularly for development straight movement, and broken lines indialong the lines of mechanical toys 'or toy veeating change of position of the steering hicles, I wish it to be understoodthat' the mechanism while the machine is making a scope of the invention is not to be limited right turn. Y unnecessarily to toys, for certain features of Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of theimproved the improvement are capable of employment rear axle connection mechanism on an enin other types of vehicles. larged scale. Y

Among the objects ofthe invention is to Fig. 4: is a side elevation of; the samewith 19 provide 'a vehicle with automatic steering parts in section on the line of Fig. 3.'

gear so devised and constructed as to pro- Referring now more specifically to the duce a variety of results as to direction of drawings, I indicate as representative of movement or behavior of the vehicle accordpower operated vehicle chassis, a pair of side ing to a considerable range or variety of adbars 10 between which :extend a series of l justments, thevehicle being adapted to be cross braces or brackets 11, 12, 13, 14, and

operated by any suitable species of power. 15.- The number of these cross pieces may be Another object of the invention is to imgreater or less and the arrangement thereof prove the axle and chassis construction so different from that indicated in the drawings as to increase the reliability of the tractive without departing from the spirit of the in- 0 effect of power vehicles, as well as to increase vent'ion. t I

the durability of the machine and the com- The front axle 16 is journaledadjacent'to fort incident to the riding in or upon such the wheelsin bearings 17 fixed to or constimachine. V tuting parts of the bolster 18 having vertical More specifically, one of the objects of the center bearing at 19 through a king pin 20 invention is t'oprovidea vehicle having front with the bracket 11. This bearing 19 is so and rear axles, a pair of wheels on each axle, designed as to permit not only the usual rotaand connections between theaxles and the tion around the axis of the king pin, but chassis that will insure not only the desired also a certain limited amount of lateral rockrotative flexibility of the front axle, but also ing of the front axle and bolster withrespect the capability of relative rocking movement to the chassis. Extending forward from the d between the front or rear axle and the chasbolster 18 and constituting in effect a rigid sis along an axis substantially parallel to the part thereof is'an arm 21 having a forwardly line of movement of the vehicle. directed slot 22 lying in a vertical plane perl/Vith the foregoing and other objects in pendicular to the vertical plane of the axle 5 view the invention consists in the arrange- 16, but indicated as being below thehorizonment and combination of parts hereinafter tal plane of the axle. ,t described and claimed, and while the inven- The rear axle 23 1s journaled 1n bearings tion is not restricted to the exact details of 24 adjacent to the wheels and constitutlng construction disclosed or suggested herein. a part of the rear bolster 25. "lZVhereas the tical embodiment'thereof reference is had to more or less rigidly fixed to the rearportion the accompanying drawings in which like of the chassis, in this instancethe bolster 25 reference characters designate the same parts is free at its ends from thechassis and 1s in the several views, and in which connected by center supporting means includembodiment of the invention as applied to brackets 15 and in a plane parallel-to-and 1 the vehicle chassis and traction means, with midway between the rear wheels. The shaft parts in section on the line 11 of Fig. 2. 26'is clamped to the brackets 1 5;and ha's 'our- Fig. 2 is a bottom plan View of the connaled between the bracketsa sleeve or bearing still for the purpose of illustrating a pracusual arrangement is for a rear axle to be V Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred ing a short sturdy shaft 26 mounted upon the struction of Fig. 1, full lines indicating one 27 constituting a part Of the bolsterr stru'o- I i ture. A forwardly and downwardly projecting bearing arm 28 is another part of the same structure.

Any suitable means may be provided for the application of power to the traction wheels ofthe vehicle.

As shown herein the rear wheels only are propelling wheels and a pair of miter gears 29 connect the rear axle 23 with the drivingshaft 30, the latter being journaled in the bearing 28 at the rear endand in the bracket 14 at the forward end. A.

. counter shaft 31 is journaled in the bracket nism. r

13, and a pair of spur gears 32 fixed to the shafts and 31 transmit power from one to the other. The shaft 31 is shown herein as being driven by means of a gear '33 fixed to the forward end of. the counter shaft and meshing with a crown gear 34 adapted to be actuated by means of a spiral spring 3501' its equivalent, the power in which'is stored by rotation of a key or crank shaft 36 in'any well knownmanner': A steering disk '37 is mounted below the gearing above described and coaxialfof the crown gearing. Suitable pawl and ratchet mechanism is provided'for connecting the disk- 37 operatively'with the spring mechanism so that the disk 37will rotate in unison with the crown gear under the influence of the spring and synchro= nously with the actuationof the gearing between the crown gear and the driving mecha- 'has a pin 4'l'co-operating with any selected groove formed inthe surface of the disk 3'7. The connection of the front endof the lever 39 with. the frontaxle structure is perma 'nent although the pin 40 is adapted to glide forward and rearward along the slot 22 dur ing adjustment and operation of the machine.

The pin 41 at the rear end of the lever however, may be withdrawn freely from any groove in which it may be located and placed in any other groove. Likewise the pin 38 at.

the same time may be placed in any one 'of the bearing holes a to e inclusive. A spring 42 connected tothe'lever 39 and engaging over'the upper surface of the flat portion 12* of the bracket 12 is efiective to hold the. plns 38.and 41 according to the adjustment desired.

The disk 37 is shown provided with a series of four or five grooves, all of which are grouped around the center or axis of'the driving mechanism. These grooves are indicated'at 43, 44, 45, and 46," and all of-them are of compound curvature orin the'nature of cams except the last mentioned,- but this one 1s provided with an off-shoot 47, making in effect two grooves instead of one adjacent to the periphery of the disk. The groove 46 considered alone 1s concentrlc and circular,

while all the others are eccentric and act as cams for at least a portion of rotation ofthe disk. 7 p 7 The groove 43 comprises two parts,an in: ner concentric portion 43 of short radius, and an outer concentric portion 43 of longer radius. These two arcs 43 and 43 are con nected by cam-grooves so as to make one continuous groove 43. With the front wheels and axle in normal straight-away position and the'pin 38 adjusted in the bearing hole a, and with the pin 41 adjusted in the groove 43, the driving mechanism being in opera tion and the disk caused thereby tobe' rotatecl in thedirection of thea'rrow inFig. 2,

the vehicle'will be moved straight forward during the period corresponding to the time for half rotation of the disk. The pin 41 will then enter one of the cam portions of the V groove 43 and the lever 39will be swung outward from the center of the disk, pivoting around the axis of the pin 38 andcausing a right turn of the vehicle, a condition corresponding to that shown in broken lines in" Fig. 2. This right turn will continue while the machine makes a half circle on the floor or roadway by which time the pin 41 will have returned to the portion 43 of the.

groove, the result bein that the machine will then'make a return straight movement for a period of time corresponding to .the half turn of the disk 37 when it will again make'a j lltlf'ClI'ClG turn to the right. The adjustment Cll of the lever 39 with the pin 38 in the second 1 hole 6 and the pin 41 in thegroove 44-,will produce a continuous figure 8 or afigure equivalent to two circles externally tangent to each other. To produce this result'the disk will be so positioned thatwith the front axle in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the'pin 41 will occupy a position'sub stantially at the point 44*. Rotation of the disk will cause the pin 41 to approach the ..i

center of the disk and so cause'the wheels to make a swinging movement corresponding to I a left turn of the vehicle. This turning movement will be completed at about the time the pin reaches the point 44 and will be'continned until the point 44 is reached at which timethe pin .41'will be movable outward from the axis of the disk and completing one of the two circles-at about the point 44,, it being understood that the starting point of the figure will be atcthe point of tangency of the two circles or where the twocompound curves cross each other. By this timethe wheels are straight again; and ready to be given a right turn while the pin 41* passes v onward over the crest of the-cam and into the concentric portion 44" of the groove 44 where it will remain until the second circle will be described by the machine and then returned again to its original startingpoint 44. It will thus be apparent that while the two arcs or portions of the groove 44 that are each concentric with the disk are different in extent, they are practically equivalent as to angular movement of the disk so that their times are equal and the resulting figure will be a perfect 8 or two equal tangent circles.

Likewise the adjustment of the lever 39 so as to bring the pin 38 in the third hole and the pin 41 in the groove 45, a, condition will obtain according to the showing in full lines in Fig. 2, and with the vehicle making a straight forward movement. The groove 45 includes two pairs of parts 45 and 45*, the parts of each pair being of equal radii, and all the parts being concentric. The transition, however, from one part to the next is through a cam connection, hence with the rotation of the disk in the direction shown,the vehicle will make a half turn after the pin 41 passes out of the groove 45 in which it is at present located, the turning of the vehicle taking place while the pin 41 operates along the portion 45 or the substantial equivalent of one' quarter turn of the disk. At the end of this groove 45*, the pin will be drawn inward toward the center-of the disk and into the groove 45 and the machine will make another straight run during the period of time corresponding to one quarter rotation of the disk and so on. The grooves 43 and 45 are similar in this'that each of them produces a certain straightaway and then a half turn, of the vehicle and then again a straight-away, but the groove 45 produces twice as many turns as the one first described.

The directions for the operation of this machine or toy contemplate that in the adjustment of the steering lever with respect to the fulcrum bracket 12 and disk 37 the front axle shall be approximately in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2. Consequently with the adjustment of the lever with its pin 38 in the fourth hole cl, and the pin 41 in the groove 47, the wheels may be set for straight-away,

but immediately after the machine starts to move the pin 41 will enter the circular and continuous groove 46 so that the machine will make a constant uniform circle. In effect while the machine is operating the pin 38 has a fixed position, while the pin 41 in most instances is movable inward or outward with respect to the axis of the disk. Also the front axle is caused to swing around its vertical axis during the swinging movements of the lever 39. Therefore it is essential that the slot 22 be provided to accommodate the more or less forward and rearward movements of the pin 40, such movements, however, being secondary to the lateral swinging movement for the turning of the front axle for steering purposes.

In the operation of power driven or traction vehicles, it is essential that both of the driving wheels be maintained in frictional of the riders in the vehicle or safety of the vehicle itself or load carried thereby, it is important that the driving axle shall be free to tilt laterally with respect to the body of the vehicle and around an axis parallel to the line of movement. To this end I mount the rear axle 23 and bolster 25 as described above upon without disturbing essentially the drivingmechanism which is arranged in the same vertical fore and aft plane as the axle and shaft 26.. The mechanismshown in Figs. 3 and 4 is a carrying forward of the same idea and illustrated as applicable to practical passenger'or truck constructions. In these figures the rear axle 23 is provided with a housing 23 for the differential mechanism not shown and with which connects the fore and aft driving shaft 30 Associated with the axle and housing is a bolster E25 shown as split or divided and embracing the housing 23* on opposite sides and connected therewith through anti-friction bearings 25*. As shown the entire connection between the bolster and the axle structure is along a line coincident with the axis of the shaft 30 and midway between and parallel to the planes of the wheels. It follows, therefore, that the rear axle and wheels are comparatively free to tilt up or down around the axis just referred to, thus assuring that the wheels shall be maintained in frictional contact with the roadway at all times and will relieve the vehicle body from a great deal of the effect of rough or uneven roads.

I claim:

A vehicle of the type set forth, including a body, front and rear wheels therefor, an axle for one set of the Wheels, said axle being movable about a vertical axis to steer the vehicle,

a steering member rotating in synchronism with the wheels of the vehicle, said steering member having a plurality of cams of different design, and means engaging the said axle and a selected one of said cams, said means being resiliently mounted for disengagement with one of the cams and engagement with another of the cams, said axle and said body having coacting brackets to support the body on the axle, and a pin passing through said brackets to form the vertical pivot mentioned, one of said brackets having a convex portion about the pin,'said convex portion having bearing relation with the other bracket about the pin, to permit the axle to tilt laterally.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. 7,

RAYMOND DE FILIPPIS. 

